trouble with my job over my Itp pleas help.

I have worked with my current company for 4 years now and its a ware house shipping job. Not the best place with itp lol. I had my doctor write me a restricted duty note since I was climbing ladder's and other dangerous things that comes with the job. The area they put me in I was still bruising and doing things putting me in risk of major issue that comes with itp. I talked with hr and was told to stay at the desk but the area and job did not allow it. To make matters worse my boss kept finding issues to try to fire me but none ended up sticking since I did nothing wrong. I did end up leaving on medical leave since I did do chemo and rituximad. I have been out 3 months and want to go back but my counts are still at 40. I don't want to quite do to I am a manager but mostly cause the insurance is dam good. I am afraid if I go back with the same restrictions that they will find away to fire me or not follow my doctors note. I feel like hr has not been that great with this issue. Has any one else had this issue or have advise please help.

Of course employment law is different in the UK where I am but I suspect things might be roughly the same. In the UK they could dismiss you on the grounds that you are unable to do the job. So you need to find a treatment that works. Have you tried Nplate or Promacta, one of the new drugs that work for the majority of people?

That is a tough one. If you are put on restricted duty and not allowed to do the job, they could just let you go due to not meeting the performance expectations for the posisition. Not that I wish that to happen to you! I have an employee that has been out on Medical leave for over a year. He is allowed to come back when able to. It varies from employer to employer. You may need to consider another treatment option. Hope you do not loose your job!!!

How big is your company? If it is not tiny, you could probably ask for a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Then you and the company negotiate if a reasonable accomodation is possible. You need to talk with HR.
Erica

No not yet. My doctor is going to repeat retuximad but I will ask him about them treatments. My company is global and this is why I left for medical leave to save my job. It wasn't a performance issue all of my work was done it was just making me tired and causing bruising doing the job. I hate to say but since my itp is caused ht my immune system I might have to quite in order to stay healthy. Thanks for all the help.

Because the company you work for has more than 15 employees they are obligated to comply with regulations specified by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Your employer is obligated to provide you with accommodations that will allow you to perform your normal job requirements. Additionally, it is illegal for your boss to harass you, or intentionally make your job unbearable in order to fire you or force you to quit. Suggest you contact the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and discuss your situation with a case officer. You can find a local office at www.eeoc.gov/ .

If your employer is a federal contractor you can get assistance having your employer provide accommodations, or file a discrimination complaint, with the US Dept. of Labor – Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). www.dol.gov/ofccp/ .You can contact their local office for guidance. If you are not sure, you can find out if your employer is a federal contractor at www.usaspending.gov/ .

You can find out more about the ADA and the governing laws, and how to get assistance with employment matters at www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/disability.cfm , www.ada.gov/ . www.dol.gov and through the various links on their websites. Good Luck.

Yes it is a federal company and thank you so much for the help I don't know how far to push this issue but I do feel like I am being walked on. I got so tired of people complaining on how tired I looked or got mad when I said I was unable to lift something. It frustrating when you feels that your doing your best and its no good. There is one way you can be fired immediately and that's by mishandeling products we ship and my boss has pulled security video on my at least twice that I know of in order of trying to fire me I had to go to hr to get him to leave me alone. I want to return to work but don't want to be afraid of losing my job.

I'd doubt whether even under the law they have to accommodate you no matter what. Be careful taking advice off the internet.

Ann wrote: I'd doubt whether even under the law they have to accommodate you no matter what. Be careful taking advice off the internet.

I agree. If you do have to push it, be careful.
If an employer wants an employee gone, they will find every little thing to get it done.

Wait - am I 'advice over the internet' - yes I guess so - also I'm an industrial organizational psychologist with a lot of HR experience.

Ann and Dean are right they don't have to accommodate you. The law requires that they make a 'reasonable accommodation' but the definition of reasonable is not fixed. You need to actively negotiate with your employer, through HR, to determine if there is something reasonable that can keep you employed. It is certainly possible that they will accommodate you! But if you don't ask for what you need, they are not required to ask you first.

If by federal you mean it is a government employer or has government contracts then I think they are even more likely to make a real effort to accommodate you.

It might be worthwhile to have a brief conversation with an employment lawyer.
Erica

Yes, I agree, this is tricky. You can't prove 'tired' and there are plenty of people who push through illnesses at work feeling exhausted. There comes a time where you have to realize that if you can't meet the job requirements, it may be time to step aside so the company can hire someone who can.

I am in the same boat as you are right now. This past year, I've had horrible medication side effects due to Lupus, symptoms and surgery for spinal stenosis, 3+ weeks of bronchitis and now, stress fractures in my foot. I've had 9 months of others having to pick up some of my slack. I've reached a point where I am probably going to give it up so they can get someone who can actually pull their weight. The accomodations that I need will not allow my job requirements to be met and it wouldn't be fair to the rest of the employees.

Thanks for all the help there are places at my job that would be safe for me but they don't seem to want to put me there and I agree with working with illness I have been working with it for 2 years and only asked for accommodations when my count hit the 30 this year and I took medical leave when my boss threated to demote me for looking tired and moving slow one day. The job they gave me had me running around the whole building and by 7 hours later well I get wore out. I do want to quit but the insurance is dam good so I feel I am stuck.

Yeah, I've been stuck for insurance reasons for 7 years now. I get it. It took me this long to find a way out.

Erica,
That is great adice!! I did work for a large aerospace corporation and retired from there. I did see a lot of these type of work situations going on. It is a lot harder to "work things out" when you have a boss who is trying to get rid of you. When you are a "favorite", it works a lot more to your advantage. These things do happen all the time. I would talk to a lawyer who deals with employee relations or disabilities.

Kimmie--Sorry to hear you are having such a rough time. I didn't have ITP when I was working at my main job. But, I did have it when I was working in the real estate field; and, it was very hard trying to cope with everything. Try to work things out the best you can since you have such great insurance. Good luck to you.

Sandy,
Sorry to hear about your stress facture. I've had those before and it can be quite painful. Mine took a long time to heal. Good luck to you.

DeeDee - just one more thing added to a long list. I'll get through it. Minor inconvenience. Thanks!

I know that this is late, but i would advise you to stick to your guns. Firstly they cannot discriminate you. I am not sure of unemployment law but when i worked in London, i knew that after one year of working for a company technically you have more of a legal standing. Secondly, when my counts went down i was moved from one department that was very busy and gruelling to the office where I took phone calls and did more relaxing work. If it is a big company, surely there is a position that is less taxing. Most companies have an admin area and the fact you have worked there for so long they should be able to accomodate you. I know that most of the time they will try and make things easier. I know its not their fault or your fault you are sick but there should be something you can do. I would fight it.

I have worked for my Vet for going on 14 years. The boss is very understanding since animals can get the same thing. But it's the coworkers that are giving me a hard time even though it doesn't matter what they think. It's still hard I can't do the things I use too with helping with the animals but we are making it work. I just have to be careful with making appointments on days we don't have the staff to do the work that is needed to be done. I still do things that I shouldn't when it comes to the animals but I love my job. Just don't want to get into a hard spot where I would have to calm workmen's comp.

Hi Amber,
Well, you've made it to almost a years since your original diagnose. How are you doing overall? I think it's great that you work at a job that you love and that your boss is understanding. I would continue to try and work things out and not worry so much about the other workers. Unless you've had ITP yourself, others don't seem to understand what we go through. They don't always see the physical evidence, so they don't believe we are really sick. This is what I have found for myself to be true.

And, if you let other people run your life, you could end up even sicker than before. This is what happened to me on my last relapse. So, try to take care of yourself and try not to go the route of workmen's comp. My husband had to do it years ago and it was an absolute nightmare!

May I chip in with my "happenings"?

My employer found out about my ITP and cut my pay 55% hoping I would quit. I did not so they laid me off. I am in Business Development! Just a few weeks ago...

I have had many people tell me to take action. What action? Prove a lack of work...... I am fit enough to do a triathlon and run a marathon, but viewed as ill. What the heck is the logic in that???? Just one of my struggles.

Jeffrey

Jeffrey,

I'm not sure where you live--but in your case it is down-right discrimination against you. I think what people mean is that you should get a lawyer in your case. I would at least try to find one that would help you against your employer.

Did you work for this employer very long? There is a lot of this going on in the U.S. and it does make me sick to see it happening.

I hope you can find another job where you are more appreciated. Good luck to you.

Dee Dee

DeeDee

Most of my co-workers understand and will do anything to keep me out of harms ways, but there is just one that (I think she wants my job) she is the one that went off on me and said I should find another job. I talked to my boss about the blow up and he wasn't happy (I'm sure he said something to her and I really don't talk to her anymore, unless its about work). Overall I'm just tried a lot counts are over 50k so that is could and found a good doctor. Started to work out which makes me more tired but I want to be a healthier person overall. It is just said that I have to medicate myself when I work with her (Xanxa) she brings a big black cloud with her to work and drama (we need a sign at the door we come into work that states (LEAVE YOUR PROBLEMS AT THE DOOR).

DeeDee

I forgot one thing I am always cold and my joints hurt. Told my doctor and he said it was the norm for ITP. But wanted to know if anyone else also is having this trouble.

Amber,

I would still try to continue working since your boss does try to help the situation. I, too, had trouble all the years that I worked; with different people at different times. Because I am really easy going, people try to take advantage of me and this caused me a lot of anxiety and stress. I did retire early and then worked in real estate for a few years.

I also have a problem with always being cold and my joints hurt, too. I just figured the being cold came from having a thyroid on the low-end. My joints have always hurt, but I have had a lot of accidents (hit by a car and thrown from horses I still ride the horses and I, too, also continue to work out at least 4 times a week. I am really tired from working out, but I do it to keep healthy. All these meds that we have taken can come back to hurt us in the way of high colestral and high blood pressure. One lady I med went right into being a diabetic after taking the steriods.

Try to hang in there if you can; at least your platelets are up to 50; that really isn't a bad number. I could live with that.

Dee Dee

well the last count was 83 and dropping slowly, I am just clumsy and still bruise but they go away faster now. But sometimes my hips hurt so bad i can barely move. Talked to my oncologist and he said if it hurts that bad I can take my husbands Vicodin RX (the Tylenol doesn't touch the pain even for cramps). I try to stay away from Pred as much as possible but it does help with my allergy's as well as raise my platelets (temp).

DeeDee Marie wrote: Jeffrey,

I'm not sure where you live--but in your case it is down-right discrimination against you. I think what people mean is that you should get a lawyer in your case. I would at least try to find one that would help you against your employer.

Did you work for this employer very long? There is a lot of this going on in the U.S. and it does make me sick to see it happening.

I hope you can find another job where you are more appreciated. Good luck to you.

Dee Dee

Dee Dee,

Thanks for the support. I have been in executive management most of my career. I might be able to win, I know that, but at what cost? That is the issue. I am going to just try to redirect myself to a differenct employer and see what happens with that. It does stink but it does happen. This whole journey is really something, good and bad. It is making me a better person.

Jeffrey

Jeffrey, are you in the US? Is your employer bigger than 15 employees? If yes, your employer is subject to the Americans with Disabilities Act and cannot discriminate based on perceived disabilities or actual. What reason do they give for your cut?
Erica

Amber,

The doctor thinks your hips hurting is related to your ITP? I ache a lot but not that much. Maybe you might have something else going on and need to get it checked out. I don't have to take any pain pills most of the time. Right now I've been having trouble with my right arm and shoulder.

Sometimes the doctor's don't take us serious enough. Do you think some of this is related to all the Rituxan you had?

Amber I'm really sorry your hips are hurting so badly - but I really wonder what your doctor would tell you if you did not have ITP. Sometimes if someone has "something" everything that comes up seems to be blamed int that "something". If it is hurting you so much that doctor really needs to dig and hopefully find a reason - bursitis, arthritis, an ITP med [not ITP], hairline fracture, whatever, but don't let him blame it on ITP just because ITP you happen to have.


Jeffrey what Erica said you need to check in to.

I also think it's odd that a doctor would tell a patient to take someone's script. That's actually illegal, especially controlled substances like Vicodin. Those are closely regulated.

Amber, I don't know what kind of doctors you have around your area!

He ran a test for RA which came back neg. He didn't tell to take the rx he said if i need pain meds since I'm over 50k I can take anything that I needed too, just like the family doc. I don't need an rx for 1 tab every blue moon it would expire before i could take them all. The new doctor confirmed that I do have I.T.P. Just to have my CBC check every couple of months and if it falls below 50k come back.